Aizawa explained the first test: a 50-meter dash, timed electronically.
"You'll go in pairs," he said, consulting his clipboard. "First up: Iida and Asui."
Iida stepped forward, engines gleaming in his calves. He took a runner's stance, eyes focused ahead. The frog girl crouched beside him, her large eyes unblinking.
"Start!"
Iida shot forward like a bullet, his engines firing with mechanical precision. He crossed the finish line in 3.04 seconds, barely breaking a sweat. Asui hopped along behind him, finishing at a respectable 5.58 seconds.
Aizawa called more pairs: Kaminari and Jiro, Midoriya and Uraraka, Kirishima and Ashido. I watched each run carefully, cataloging their performances. Most relied on their Quirks in obvious ways – Uraraka made her clothes weightless, Ashido skated on acid.
"Murano and Bakugo."
I stepped up to the starting line, feeling Bakugo's murderous glare boring into my skull.
"I'll crush you," he growled.
"Keep dreaming, sparklers."
His face contorted with rage, but before he could respond, Aizawa signaled the start.
Bakugo blasted off immediately, using explosions from his palms to propel himself forward with violent bursts. Flashy and loud – completely on brand.
But I had a different approach.
I'd been charging the rubber soles of my shoes with kinetic energy since Aizawa first mentioned the dash. Nothing major – just enough to give each step a little extra push. As my foot hit the track, I released a tiny, controlled pulse that pushed me forward slightly faster than physics would normally allow.
Step. Pop. Step. Pop. Step. Pop.
Each micro-explosion added to my momentum, creating sustained acceleration rather than a single burst. The beauty was in the efficiency – no wasted movement, no flashy display, just smart application of force where and when I needed it.
I crossed the finish line just behind Bakugo – 4.13 seconds to his 4.05.
"What the fuck was that?" he snarled, whipping around to face me. "You barely used your Quirk!"
I shrugged. "Didn't need to."
"Again!" he demanded. "Race me again!"
"That's enough," Aizawa cut in, his voice flat. "Move on to the next test."
Bakugo stalked away, palms smoking. Aizawa's eyes lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary. He'd seen it. Good.
The grip strength test was next. We each received a hand dynamometer to squeeze with all our might. Shoji dominated immediately, using his multiple arms to achieve a staggering 540 kilograms.
As others tested their strength, a new figure slipped into the group. I hadn't noticed her before, though with twenty students, it was easy to miss someone. She was petite with a curvy figure, violet hair, and... cat ears? A tail swished behind her as she approached the testing area.
"My turn?" she asked, her voice a silky purr. "I'm not very strong, though."
She took the dynamometer delicately, holding it with slender fingers.
"Don't expect much," she said.
Then she squeezed. The metal casing of the device crumpled like paper, the digital display flickering before showing 354 kg.
"Oops," she giggled, dropping the mangled device into Aizawa's hand. "Guess I don't know my own strength."
Her yellow, slitted eyes met mine for a brief moment, and I recognized the look immediately. Another performer.
Well, well. What have we here?
For the standing long jump, Bakugo again showcased his explosive approach, blasting himself clear across the sandbox. Todoroki created an ice ramp and slid across. Asui leaped with her powerful frog legs.
When my turn came, I noticed a small, dense rock at the edge of the sandbox. I casually picked it up, palming it as I took my position.
I crouched, charging the rock with energy. Then I jumped, simultaneously throwing the rock directly behind me. The resulting explosion wasn't massive, but it was perfectly timed – a focused burst of energy that propelled me forward like a human rocket.
I landed well past the marks of most of my classmates, earning a few impressed looks.
"That's thinking outside the box," Kirishima said with a sharp-toothed grin. "Super manly strategy!"
I shrugged. "Work smarter, not harder."
Aizawa made another note on his clipboard. Two tests down, six to go.
The repeated side steps test was next – a simple measure of agility and stamina. After watching a few classmates, I noticed someone practically vibrating with excitement beside me. He had the strangest appearance I'd seen yet – his head was literally a speech bubble.
"HELLO, NEW CLASSMATE!" the speech bubble displayed these words as he spoke, his enthusiasm nearly knocking me over. "I AM MANGA FUKIDASHI! YOUR PERFORMANCE SO FAR HAS BEEN MOST IMPRESSIVE!"
I blinked, taking a step back. "Thanks? I'm Yukio."
"YUKIO!" The name appeared on his face in bold letters. "A FITTING NAME FOR A WORTHY ADVERSARY!"
"I'm not really looking for—"
"Fukidashi, you're up," Aizawa called.
Manga bounded to the testing area, striking a dramatic pose that belonged in a battle manga. As he began the side steps, he started strong but visibly tired after about fifteen seconds. Then, with a determined expression, he shouted:
"SWIFT!"
The word materialized in the air beside him – an actual, physical "SWIFT" that seemed to push him faster with each step. The letters pulsed with energy, growing larger when he slowed and providing a visible boost.
When he finished, he turned to me, his speech bubble head displaying an intense rivalry panel straight out of a shonen manga.
"YOU ARE A WORTHY ADVERSARY, YUKIO MURANO! I DECLARE YOU MY FATED RIVAL!"
The entire class stared at him, then at me. I gave him a noncommittal nod, hoping he'd calm down.
Instead, his face displayed "RIVALRY ESTABLISHED!" in dramatic font, complete with action lines and sparkles.
"Whatever makes you happy," I muttered.
When my turn came, I approached the side steps with the same strategy as the dash. Small charges to the soles of my shoes, released with precise timing to boost each movement. It wasn't spectacular, but it was efficient, earning me a solid middle-of-the-pack score.
The ball throw came next. Uraraka stole the show immediately, using her Zero Gravity to send the ball into infinity. The device displayed a sideways eight symbol, causing gasps from the class.
"Infinity?" Kaminari exclaimed. "That's insane!"
"It's a rational application of her Quirk," Aizawa replied flatly.
When Midoriya stepped up, a strange tension filled the air. I remembered his self-destructive punch during the entrance exam. Would he risk breaking his arm again just for a ball throw?
He wound up, his face a mask of determination. But as he threw, something changed. His ball traveled a pathetic 46 meters, landing with an anticlimactic thud.
"I erased your Quirk," Aizawa said, his eyes glowing red and his scarf floating around him. "That entrance exam was completely irrational. A Quirk that injures you every time you use it? You'd be nothing more than a liability in battle."
Midoriya looked devastated but determined. After a tense conversation with Aizawa, he was given a second chance. This time, he focused all his power into just his fingertip at the moment of release.
The ball soared into the distance. 756.3 meters – one-tenth of a meter farther than Bakugo.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Bakugo launched himself at Midoriya, explosions crackling from his palms. "YOU WERE A QUIRKLESS LOSER!"
Aizawa's scarf shot out, wrapping around Bakugo and restraining him instantly. "Don't make me use my Quirk so much. I have dry eye."
For the seated toe-touch, upper body exercises, and endurance run, I continued my strategy of minimal, efficient Quirk usage. Small charges to key muscle groups when needed, never showing my full hand. By the end, I was tired but not exhausted – unlike some of my classmates who had gone all-out from the beginning.
Finally, Aizawa displayed our rankings on a holographic board:
Yaoyorozu
Todoroki
Bakugo
Murano
Iida
Tokoyami
Yuzuriha
Shoji
Sero
Kirishima
Ashido
Jiro
Kaminari
Asui
Fukidashi
Uraraka
Aoyama
Hagakure
Mineta
Midoriya
The class collectively held its breath, looking at Midoriya, who stared at his last-place ranking with quiet resignation.
"By the way," Aizawa said, his face completely blank, "I was lying about expelling someone."
Eighteen jaws dropped simultaneously.
"It was a rational deception to draw out your full potential."
Yaoyorozu stepped forward. "Of course it was a lie. It would be illogical to end someone's career on the first day. I should have realized that."
I glanced at Aizawa, noticing how carefully he avoided eye contact with anyone. The "rational deception" line was bullshit. He had absolutely been prepared to cut someone if they didn't measure up. I could spot a fellow bluffer anywhere.
As we headed back to change, Manga bounded up beside me.
"YOUR STRATEGIC MIND IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE, RIVAL!" His face displayed a series of stars and exclamation points. "THE WAY YOU CONSERVED ENERGY WHILE MAXIMIZING RESULTS! A TRUE TESTAMENT TO YOUR BATTLE INTELLECT!"
"Thanks, I guess."
"WE MUST TRAIN TOGETHER! SHARPEN OUR SKILLS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER! FORGE THE BONDS OF RIVALRY THAT WILL PUSH US BOTH TO NEW HEIGHTS!"